Speakers

Kelly Fry

Plenary Speaker

Editor and VP of News at The Oklahoman

Lynn Mitchell, MD, MPH

Lynn Mitchell, M.D., MPH, OU Physicians Chief Medical Officer and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs OU College of Medicine, has extensive experience with health systems and assessments of health care outcomes and has been deeply involved with health care policies at the state and federal levels. Prior to her current employment, Mitchell was the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Commissioner for Prevention and Preparedness Services for the Oklahoma Department of Health. Previously, she served as State Medicaid Director from 2000 to 2010 and as Medical Director for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority from 1995 to 2000. From 1989 to 1995, Mitchell was a member of the OU College of Medicine faculty and also held an adjunct appointment in the OU College of Public Health. Mitchell is a graduate of the OU College of Medicine and completed residency training in family medicine and in occupational medicine/preventive medicine at the OU Health Sciences Center. Her interests include preventive care and public health, patient-centric care, innovative health care delivery models, and health care financing.

Murali Krishna, MD

Plenary Speaker

Dr. R. Murali Krishna is the president of the James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit and president of INTEGRIS Mental Health.

Jim Priest

Plenary Speaker

Jim Priest is the CEO of Sunbeam Family Services, a 110 year old non-profit that provides a range of social services to support Oklahoma’s most vulnerable people; those services include including early childhood, counseling, foster care and senior services. Jim is a husband, dad, attorney, author and ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. He was a trial lawyer focusing on employment and civil rights law for over thirty four years before joining Sunbeam in November 2014. He also served as Executive Director of the non profit organization FATE—Fighting Addiction Through Education.

Jim graduated magna cum laude from Houghton College in Houghton, New York and magna cum laude from Syracuse University School of Law. He is a member of Leadership Oklahoma City, Leadership Edmond and Leadership Oklahoma and has served on numerous non-profit boards.

Jim regularly appears on television and before groups speaking and writing about social responsibility, legal topics, ethics, marriage and family issues. Jim is a weekly columnist for the Oklahoman and Newsok.com writing a column called "Family Talk" that addresses issues relating to marriage, parenting and families. He has also served as a Ethics columnist for the Journal Record newspaper.

In his free time, Jim enjoys the outdoors, fishing, biking and hiking. He also spends time reading, writing and working at his church. Jim and his wife, Diane, have been married for 38 years and have two adult children, Amanda (married to Martin Howell) and Spencer. He is owned by one dog named Jeter who was born on the day Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter got his 3,000 career hit.

Karen Waddell

Plenary Speaker

Karen Waddell is the President/Chief Executive Officer for The Lynn Institutes: the Lynn Institute for Healthcare Research, Inc., and for the Lynn Health Science Institute, Inc. She has more than 30 years of hospital administration and healthcare leadership and specializes in organizational strategic planning and taking companies to their next level of greatness. Prior to joining Lynn in 2011, Ms. Waddell’s administrative leadership included having served as Senior Vice President of Community Hospitals of Central California (Fresno, CA) and President, Community Hospitals Foundation; Regional Group Vice President for Hospital Corporation of America, Oklahoma-Texas- Arkansas, and Vice President of Presbyterian Hospital, Oklahoma City, and as Associate Vice President and Executive Director, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She also served as President/Chief Executive Officer of Eckerd Youth Alternatives, a $110 million corporation helping at risk kids, based in Clearwater, Florida and serving children and families in eleven states. Ms. Waddell is also the Owner of Karen Vinyard Waddell Associates, Inc., a nationally honored strategic marketing and planning corporation she founded in 1987. She is a recognized and honored community leader in her home state of Oklahoma, having been appointed in 2013 by Governor Mary Fallin to chair the State Children’s Panel for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and in 2012 as a Commissioner to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services Commission. She was a member and report author for the Special Review Committee studying deaths of children in foster care in 2011-12, and chairs the collaborative she founded, “Count Me In 4 Kids”, a clearing house matching needs with providers and donors to help Oklahoma children. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class I, Leadership Oklahoma City, Class II, Sallt Class I, Esther Women, and a member of the Board of the Ardmore Institutes of Health. She has been a finalist for Business Woman of the Year both in Tampa, Florida, and in Oklahoma City. Ms. Waddell is the proud mother of two adult children and grandmother to six grandchildren.

Alice Mankin LaMascus, MD, MS

Alice Mankin is a Family Medicine Physician at Mercy where she has worked since 2011.

Before returning to medical school in her late 30s, she earned an undergraduate degree at Harding University in Public Relations, and a Masters of Science Degree from Abilene Christian University in Management and Human Relations.

She worked nearly 10 years in the field of long term care for seniors, including public and private housing as well as being selected inaugural unit administrator for the Mattie Marshall Alzheimer's Unit in Georgia.

She has been married for nearly three decades to Dr. Scott LaMascus, VP of Academic Affairs at OC, and has two sons who attend OC. She is a member of the Memorial Road Church of Christ.

Jennifer Gray, RN, PhD, FAAN

Jennifer Gray, RN, PhD, FAAN, came to Oklahoma Christian University as the Associate

Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences. After she retired from the University

of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation, she returned to OC, her

alma mater, to work primarily with the School of Nursing and new programs. While at

UTA, she taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs and served as an PhD

Advisor and Program Director, Associate Dean, and Interim Dean. Her passion for

teaching resulted in several teaching awards including being designated as a member of

the Regent’s Academy of Distinguished Teachers for the UT System. Her passion for

nursing around the world has resulted in trips to Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Dominican

Republic, and Haiti. Through 9 trips to Uganda, she and a few other nursing colleagues

have developed an effective collaboration with the members of the Uganda Nurses and

Midwives Union. This collaboration has resulted in numerous workshops, research

studies, presentations, and publications.

At Oklahoma Christian, she is a member of the Institutional Research Board and is

serving as sponsor for Outreach, the student-led mission group on campus. She and her

husband, Randy, are serving with the Oakdale Church of Christ and enjoying three

beautiful granddaughters, with a grandson on the way.

Bill Luttrell, PhD, CIH, FAIHA

Dr. Bill Luttrell is beginning his 12th year of teaching organic chemistry at OC and his 9th year of serving as Chair, Chemistry and Physics Department. His research interests are the effects of environmental and workplace chemical toxins on drug metabolizing enzyme systems. He earned a PhD in Toxicology from Eastern Virginia Medical School, a MS in Chemistry from Old Dominion University, and a BS in Science (Medical) from University of Louisville. Dr. Luttrell has published two books, the most recent entitled “Toxicology Principles for the Industrial Hygienist,” along with more than 50 research papers and technical articles, including a column in the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety called “Toxic tips”. Prior to joining the OC faculty, he served for five years as a toxicologist at the Navy Environmental Health Center. Dr. Luttrell also was a member of the faculty of Old Dominion University in the College of Health Sciences for three years. He served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps for 20 years. He is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Society of Toxicology, and the American Chemical Society.

Beverly North

For over 10 years Beverly has served as the Clinic Director for the Lighthouse Medical Ministries. In her role she coordinates all clinic operations including patient visits, follow-ups, referrals, and long-term care with Hepatitis C and cancer patients. She also coordinates the professionals and lay people who volunteer to work in the clinic. The Lighthouse Medical Ministries is a free clinic operating inside the Capitol Hill Church of Christ building to help provide for the underserved primarily in OKC. The clinic provides a wide range of services including primary care, lab tests, pharmacy, ultra-sounds, physical therapy and specialty visits that include special testing and surgeries. The clinic also provides education for diabetics, healthy cooking and learning to read. The clinic is currently open four times a week. In 2014 the clinic had over 2000 patient visits and gave out medicine for over 7500 prescriptions. Currently there are over 100 volunteers who support the operation of the clinic. The Lighthouse strives to impact all areas of their patients’ lives by being a helping partner with each patient. The Lighthouse believes that by being the arms of Jesus serving our fellowman, people will come to know Him.

Tina Winn, PhD, EdD, LPC

Tina Winn, professor of psychology and family studies, came to Oklahoma Christian in 2010 after 13 ½ years on the faculty at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and 10 years at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Her doctorate is in Counseling and Student Personnel. Winn teaches courses in Social Psychology, Personality, Developmental Psychology, Motivation and Emotion, and Legal, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Psychology. Winn’s research interests are in the areas of motivation and flourishing. Her most recent focus is in factors related to resilience. She is currently working with a team of OC alumni and students on a Healthy Brains/Healthy Minds intervention that targeted at improving mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being among college students.

Brian Simmons, PhD

Brian Simmons teaches in the Communication Department and the Honors Program at Oklahoma Christian University where he also serves as Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts. He has taught at the college level for 28 years, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Christian University, a Master’s degree from Pepperdine University, and a doctorate from Purdue University. Brian also serves as the Preaching Minister for the Metro Church of Christ in Gresham, Oregon, where he is also a Deacon. Brian is the author ofFalling Away: What Christians Need to Know About Losing Their Faith, and Wandering in the Wilderness: Changes and Challenges to Emerging Adults’ Religious Faith, both published by Abilene Christian University Press. His current research interest is in religious communication, specifically how apostates communicate the changes in their religious beliefs. He has previously published in Journalism Quarterly, Journal of Popular Music and Society, The Northwest Journal of Communication, Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, Media Coverage of Terrorism, and Sex, Religion and Media.

Ben Langford

Ben Langford is the Director of the Center for Global Missions and is an adjunct instructor in the College of Biblical Studies at Oklahoma Christian University where he teaches missions and theology courses. Ben graduated from OC in 1998 with his B.A. in Biblical Studies and Ministry and holds a M.S. in Ministry from Pepperdine University. Ben and his wife Kym have three children, Elijah (12), Noah (9) and Bella (6) and spent 6 years in Uganda, East Africa as missionaries. While in Uganda, Ben worked with a mission team that did church planting, ministry and leadership training, and development work consisting of health care, environmental and economic projects.

Michael Mitchell

Michael Mitchell is a follower of Christ, a lover of people, and is always seeking to be better at both. Professionally, he serves as the Director of Development for Water4, an Oklahoma City nonprofit working to eradicate the world water crisis. He joined Water4 in January 2016 after over a decade of leadership experience in Alumni Relations and Admissions at Oklahoma Christian. He has a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Oklahoma Christian University and a master's degree in Education Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

He is married to his high school sweetheart, the lovely and talented Annaleise, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an all around awesome human being. Michael and Annaleise are the proud parents of Isabella, Benjamin, and Harrison Mitchell. They are members of the Mayfair Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, where Michael serves as a deacon

Michael's blog "Life to Her Years: Dad's Tips for Adding Life to a Daughter's Years" (lifetoheryears.com) has been featured in numerous online and print publications, and in 2014 he published the book "Life Lessons for Dad: Tea Parties, Tutus & All Things Pink."